by Kym Robinson
September 16, 2024 - The lesser of two or many evils is a line of reasoning that tends to favor the status quo. It compromises principles and human dignity to a point where we are made to understand the benefits of injustice and less freedom. We are told that it could always be worse. If one ruler is a better option than another, the compromise is that we should be ruled, but by a less bad gang of murderous thieves. Such pragmatic reasoning can also expand to
acts of mass murder; a genocide is a lesser evil in particular contexts. For those who consider themselves principled, it can be a seduction to drop their dignified convictions.